K.J. Brantley writes literary horror that explores psychological unraveling, trauma, and the haunting complexities of motherhood. She’s been drawn to the darker corners of storytelling since childhood, when she wrote Blair Witch-inspired fan fiction in crayon and founded an elementary school “cult” devoted to the Shimyaliens—Toy Story-inspired aliens with their own handwritten origin story she passed around the playground.
She lives in the Denver metro area with her husband and two young children, drawing inspiration from the Colorado mountains. Her work spans horror, speculative fiction, and dark literary nonfiction. By day, she’s a seasoned copywriter and digital strategist; by night, she crafts emotionally resonant horror that uses monsters to reflect the fears that shape us—from the loss of self to the seduction of safety. She is currently revising her debut novel, a gothic eco-horror set in a decaying mining town where maternal identity, a cult, and a parasitic force intertwine.
You can find her online at kjbrantley.com, on Instagram at @authorkjbrantley, and on X at @AuthorKBrantley.
HWA Colorado 